


Suffer

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 05:12:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11373273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Alessa and Dunya go on the suffer climb together. Alessa belongs to sso-duskhill on tumblr and Dunya belongs to star-stable-is-awesome on tumblr.





	Suffer

Despite the below-freezing temperatures here, Dunya wasn’t cold at all. Just a simple, fleece jacket was enough to keep her warm, and some fleece-lined pants. Copperclash was shivering, though, and steam rose from his body wherever snow touched it. Fortunately, his hooves didn’t melt the snow beneath them. Dunya had told him to control his burning hooves so that the surface wouldn’t become too slippery.

Alessa, however, was freezing, shivering as she sat on her horse.

“Is the cold part of the suffering?” asked Dunya. Alessa nodded, teeth chattering and lips turning blue as her hands were shoved deep into her armpits.

“Y-y-yes,” said Alessa. “C-come on. This is the f-f-f-first step.” She turned her horse around, ready to jump, but then Dunya stopped her.

“Wait,” said Dunya. “I am warm, but you are freezing. Come a little closer, my dear, and I will warm you up.” Alessa’s cheeks warmed, just barely, in a blush, but a greater heat spread through her from her lips and the points where Dunya was touching her when Dunya kissed her. It was like suddenly being beside a furnace, which was a blessing in this cold, and like drinking delicious hot chocolate.

“Thank you, master,” said Alessa when Dunya pulled away.

“I don’t want you to suffer, my queen,” said Dunya. “Now, let us begin this climb.”

“Right,” said Alessa, nodding. To her delight, the warmth stayed with her even after Dunya had pulled away. “The first step is to jump up here.”

Jumping around the tree was the easy part.

“Ah, now the suffering truly begins,” said Dunya with a delighted grin as she levitated back up to ‘step three’.

“You could levitate all the way up, if you wanted,” said Alessa.

“Oh, but where would be the fun in that?” asked Dunya. “I can’t very well leave you down here on your own. We should accomplish this together.”

“If that is what you wish,” said Alessa.

“Of course it is,” said Dunya. “I do love you, you know.” Now, Alessa didn’t even need Dunya’s magic to spread warmth through her- hearing that was enough. It also, somehow, gave her the skill to leap up ‘step three’. Dunya quickly followed after her.

On another step a little higher up, Dunya watched, frozen, as Alessa balanced precariously on a thin ledge. Her horse took a step back, and Dunya gasped.

Alessa screamed as the ground suddenly vanished from beneath her horse’s hooves, but then she suddenly wasn’t falling anymore. Dunya was gripping tight to her wrists, a panicked look on her face, and Copperclash was gripping the reins of Alessa’s horse in his teeth. Together, the two of them pulled Alessa back up, and then leaped up the small slope. Once they were up there, Alessa kissed her girlfriend, adrenaline pumping through her from the near-miss. It was more passionate than their previous kisses, fuelled by fear and gratitude and love.

“Please tell me that it’s easier from here on up,” said Dunya.

“It is,” said Alessa. “If I fall from here, I’ll just slide down a slope. I’ll be fine.”

“Good,” said Dunya. “Because I have nearly lost you too many times on this dreaded climb.”

“Well, it’s not called the ‘suffer climb’ for nothing,” said Alessa, and laughed. Dunya kissed her again, and then Alessa showed her the last few steps.

“Wow,” said Dunya as they stood on top of the mountain. The fog cleared, and they could see from everywhere up here.

“It’s a tough climb but worth it,” said Alessa.

“Yes, it is,” said Dunya, gazing around in quiet wonderment. Then, she saw Ashland and grinned. “Oh, I know that place!” She pointed at it.

“Yeah, Ashland, I haven’t been there yet,” said Alessa. “But it looks cool.”

“It is very much ‘cool’,” said Dunya, still grinning. “Did you know that the volcano is named after my previous form?”

“Yes,” said Alessa, smiling. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“Well, why wait?” said Dunya. “We can go there right now, I can see a path from here.”

“But I’ve tried and there are druids out here who will send you back,” said Alessa.

“Ah, but I have my magic,” said Dunya. “I can render us invisible. Even to the eyes of the craftiest of druids.”

“Do it,” said Alessa, feeling excitement rise up in her.

Her heart pounded as they snuck past the druid posted on the mountaintop, visible to Alessa now that she had been stopped by him so many times. He didn’t look at them, even as they passed so close that Alessa could see his eyes.

And then they were past, and suddenly, Alessa’s horse was standing on the blackened stones of Ashland.

“Oh my gosh,” said Alessa. “We made it!”

“Heh, not as tough as your suffer climb, but the end is just as worth it,” said Dunya. “It is a genius climb that you have come up with, though. A new form of torture.”

“Oh, I didn’t make it, someone else did,” said Alessa. “They just showed it to me.”

“Well then, they must truly be evil and I must meet them,” said Dunya. “But fear not, my queen. You are the only queen of my heart.” Alessa blushed, smiling.

The two of them rode through Ashland, Dunya telling Alessa all about the volcano and the volcanic rock in the region and how there was a little cottage here and a secret way into the volcano.

“Here’s the cottage now,” said Dunya. “There used to be someone living here, but they have long since moved out.”

“Moved out or moved on?” asked Alessa. Surprisingly, the place was a glowing beacon of warmth in the smoky landscape.

“Moved out,” said Dunya. “But they kept the lights on and the house cozy, just in case the rightful owner should appear.” They dismounted their horses and Dunya opened the front door of the cottage before leading her girlfriend inside.

“Wow, it’s really nice in here,” said Alessa. With the door closed, it even smelled nice in here.

“Yes, and there is a big window right here to watch the volcano,” said Dunya, pulling open the curtains. There was also, conveniently, a couch right in front of the window.

“Was this your place?” asked Alessa, sitting down on the couch beside her girlfriend. Dunya wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer.

“One of my former followers built it for me, according to my instructions,” said Dunya. “But don’t worry, I didn’t love them. Not like I love you.” She kissed her, and Alessa felt her heart race. It was just the two of them, alone out here gazing out the window at the behemoth of Garnok’s Fury, but Alessa had never felt safer.


End file.
